Companies have a great ally in the free zone to face the new tariff situation announced by President Trump thanks to the important cost savings for import/export operations from the fiscal enclosure
The Free Zone role is aligned with the protection measures to companies and workers announced by the President of the Government in the new situation of world economic uncertainty
The incorporation of the Gaditano Consortium into the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA) consolidates the Gaditano Fiscal Campus as a bridge and ally to mitigate the impact of US tariff policy
Zona Franca has strengthened its position in Latin American markets by making its facilities known, new industry 4.0 model and its work as a reference for the blue economy
The strategic location of Cádiz and its two fiscal enclosures vertebrando the logistics capacity of the entire area of the Strait and its customs and fiscal advantages attract the attention of foreign markets
The Free Zone of Cádiz is reinforcing its strategy and its presence in international markets as an instrument to cushion the context of world commercial uncertainty in the face of entry into force in the next few days of the announcement made this Wednesday by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to impose “reciprocal and immediate tariffs” for all sectors and for the rest of the world.
The Cadiz Consortium has intensified its contacts in recent months, especially with Latin American markets and their free zones, and the incorporation of the Free Zone of Cádiz as a member of the Association of Free Zones of the Americas (AZFA) consolidates the link and reinforces the Cadiz institution as an ally to attenuate impact of these measures in foreign trade operations.
Customs and fiscal advantages in their two fiscal enclosures, which vertebate logistics capacity throughout the province and the area of the Strait of Gibraltar, its strategic location, their quality spaces and their new line of work are indispensable to try to alleviate the effects of Trump's measures, responding to companies that seek to reduce their dependence on US markets and obtain cost savings for tax benefits.
The role of the Free Zone of Cádiz is in line with the measures announced by the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, as soon as the announcement made by Trump has been known. The Government will reinforce their protection to workers and companies mobilizing 14,1 billion euros, acting as a protective shield in the new world economic situation.
The announcement made by the US president, with 20% tariffs to the European Union, greatly worries all international markets and, of course, Spanish and Andalusian companies since only the wine sector is a large exporter to the United States, as well as oil.
Also the countries of Latin America, with which Zona Franca de Cádiz maintains a close link through the AZFA, are very affected by the tariffs imposed by Trump that has imposed a minimum tariff of 10%.
In this sense, Zona Franca is a great ally, an instrument of value, both for national and foreign companies. Its customs and fiscal advantages to operations related to foreign trade involve great cost savings for operators, which while carrying out their fiscal enclosure activities are exempt from certain taxes.
The incorporation to the AZFA and the presence of its brand as a model of Industry 4.0 and Blue Economy in different international forums has positioned Cádiz as a reference in foreign markets, endorsing its activity with its experience of almost a century by merchanting with the world and especially with Latin American markets.
The situation faced by importing and exporting companies is complicated. The State delegate in the Free Zone, Fran González, said that “Spanish companies were already supporting 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum since March and 25% on cars and pharmaceutical products” and added that “Import operations must be taken into account although we will have to wait for the countermeasures that the EU interposes at the entrance of products in our territory”. It is mainly in these operations “where Zona Franca is constituted as a space where it can store goods from a third country without this implying the payment of tariffs and internal taxes (VAT and II.EE) until the merchandise is not destined for the final consumption. The permanence time is unlimited, providing the importer of a sufficient time to establish its commercial strategy”.
The customs and fiscal advantages of Free Zone are a very valuable instrument because being in fiscal enclosure also allows transformation operations, which consists in the development of a new product from raw materials and allocated to the foreign market not EU, without supporting any tariff or internal taxes.
In this context it is important to note that the Free Zone of Cádiz is analyzing the impact motivated by uncertainty for the application of US President's measures in companies that operate in the enclosure and the results find that the impact on companies installed in the Cadiz consortium is lower comparatively with other spaces.
The State delegate in the Free Zone of Cádiz, Fran González, has clarified that “as an example it must be said that none of the operators of the agri -food sector - one of the most affected - who have activity in fiscal enclosures has been affected by that tariff policy because they do not maintain commercial contact with US markets, or for import or export operations. Its reference market Unido, Morocco, France, Italy, Portugal, Korea, Chipre, even to other countries in Europe, Africa, America and the Middle East, such as Harinera Vilafranquina or Petaca Chico. ”
Currently the Free Zone of Cádiz works to optimize its conditions and infrastructure in order to offer companies and operators, the best spaces and advantages to deal with the new international situation. In this way, the Consortium has recently ended a plan for the improvement and modernization of facilities that, framed in the 2021-2025 viability plan, will give way shortly to the strategic plan for 2025-2030.
The improvement plan has had a total investment that exceeds 1.8 million euros with works for the improvements of hydraulic and electrical infrastructure; asphalting from the main roads, opening new parking bags; new accesses; Bet on sustainable mobility with bike lane and electroinera ... Everything focused on facilitating and offering better services to the productive fabric to increase its competitive capacity, aware that many of the operators of the logistics sector see their competitive capacity to improve with these better infrastructure.
In all this context, the line of work of the Cadiz consortium is characterized by sustainability and ecological transition that marks the new strategy, the new 4.0 industry model that is implementing the Free Zone of Cádiz.
It is important to also point out the decarbonization plan that the Free Zone of Cádiz is developing, which involves added value for the commercial activity of its spaces. This plan has already exceeded the first phase with a carbon footprint report that also will have a mitigation and compensation plan for greenhouse emissions (GHG) with a pilot project in Cádiz's bay with blue carbon.
The Free Zone of Cádiz is ultimately a tool of great value for companies and operators working in foreign markets. Its 600,000 m2 of fiscal enclosures with customs and fiscal advantages; 2.5 million square meters of productive spaces; 397 installed companies, which generate more than 3,600 direct jobs and 7,500 indirect jobs; 9 industrial estates and 20 office buildings offer a wide range of options to meet the needs of the business sector.
All this potential is revealed in the different international forums in which the Free Zone of Cádiz is present, even in the meetings that it holds periodically with the Association of Free Zones of the Americas, the last of which has been held this week.
